Month: October 2013

Categories
Opinion

Government shutdown unveiled major flaws in system

Gillian Feehan

Contributing Writer

After a 16-day government shutdown that nearly led to the United States defaulting on its loans, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president were finally able to come to an agreement that would fund the government and suspend the U.S. debt ceiling. While immediate crisis is now over, the shutdown unveiled some major flaws in the U.S. government and left the public wondering what would happen when our representatives need to vote to fund the government in January and suspend the debt ceiling in February. How could the people we elected to represent us fail to come to an agreement to fund our government? Will partisan tensions cause another government shutdown in the near future, and will this potential shutdown lead the United States to default on its loans?

The government shutdown brought to light the increasing polarization and serious disorganization within the House and Senate. Obamacare has caused major tensions between Democrats and Republicans since it became law in 2010, but the government shutdown brought these tensions to a new level. Some members of the Republican Party prioritized de-funding or altering Obamacare over funding the government and suspending the debt limit. To the majority of the American public, it seems ridiculous that a few members of a party can hold the government and the economy hostage in an effort to get their way—and it is. The U.S. government was designed to represent the wants and needs of the majority, and attempting to destroy the vote of the majority and law in general undermines the entire structure of the U.S. government.

While the U.S. government looked like a complete disaster for those 16 days, the fact that Tea Party Republicans did not get what they wanted out of the government shutdown shows the strength of U.S. democracy. Democrats made it clear that they were not going to negotiate with people who were taking our government hostage, and this firm stance led to victory in the end. The fact that Obamacare came out of this chaos essentially unscathed proves that using undemocratic, senseless tactics to further the agendas of certain parties does not work and will not work in the future.

Although the U.S. government once again has to vote on a budget and debt limit in a few short months, I don’t believe that the United States will see another government shutdown. Tea Party Republicans’ use of the government shutdown as a bargaining tool was clearly a failure, and reusing a failed plan would not make any sense. Aside from this, the American public strongly disapproved of the shutdown. Since 2014 is an election year for all members of the House and some members of the Senate, it’s unlikely that any representatives will want to put their reputation and reelection at stake so close to election time. The chaos within the government may have highlighted some serious issues, but in the end, I think it renewed faith in the true strength of democracy.

Categories
Opinion Uncategorized

Same sex marriage has reached a tipping point

Justin Marinelli

Writer

Making headlines this week was the news that New Jersey just became the 14th state to allow same-sex marriage. This sort of thing hits home for me, especially as New Jersey happens to be where I was raised. This is normally the segway at which I begin to discuss my own position on gay marriage, but I feel no need to do that here. It strikes me as much more intellectually satisfying to point out that gay marriage is a societal inevitability, and that in the future we shall see more states enact similar resolutions.

To show why, I’m going to go off in a few different directions, and then tie everything back together. First, let us begin by defining exactly what laws are. Laws are merely codified social tenants backed by government force. Social norms may be the unwritten rules of society, but written laws are the other side of the same coin. If cultural norms change, the laws will eventually change as well. This is why, for example, trial by combat is no longer a legally valid method of settling disputes.

The second thing we must realize is that two big cultural shifts have precipitated the now common acceptance of the idea of same-sex marriage. The first has been the evolution of marriage from an economic contract for the purpose of raising children to a public declaration of mutual love and affection. The second has been the gradual acceptance of public homosexuality. The combination of these two things means that people of non-straight sexual orientations are more free at this time to publicly express their love for each other, and this is reflected in societal views on same-sex marriage.

The third thing to understand is that now we have legal recognition of same-sex marriage in some states, so the pressure on lawmakers in other states to enact similar legislation will increase. Lobbying groups for this sort of thing are going to step up their efforts, and public demand is going to rise as well.

Tie all this together and what do you get? First, the cultural shift leads to a legal change in a only a few places initially. Then, this leads to a build-up in pressure on other states to legally recognize gay marriage as well. Eventually, the tipping point is reached, and same-sex marriage becomes accepted in short order across many states.

We have reached the tipping point at which the push for same-sex marriage is now insurmountable, and I believe we will soon see legal recognition of same-sex marriage become official in many more states. Do I think that same-sex marriage will become recognized in every state? Perhaps. States like Alabama and Texas will probably hold out for many years yet. But I would not be surprised to see same-sex marriage become legally recognized in a majority of states by 2020.

Categories
Arts & Life

Luckey Charms: Things To Expect on Homecoming Weekend

Will Luckey

Contributing Writer

We have a saying in my family: “Don’t spare the old homestead, mother. Burn the f#@%ing place.” It means don’t be a nostalgic wuss. But it’s always good to come home, and I am definitely excited to see the alumni coming back to campus for homecoming. This is just a taste of what you can expect this weekend:

  • You have a chance to catch up with some old friends
  • Maybe you will go golfing with some of them
  • You get to ogle that senior broad from your first-year econ class once more
  • Maybe she will notice how much you have changed since then and finally talk to you
  • But no …
  • Oh screw her, she doesn’t look that great anyway
  • You will be shown between six and 10 business cards
  • You will hear all about how awful the “real world” is
  • You will learn that wearing a tie during the week does not necessarily make you more mature
  • Even though they might think they are royalty; showing up with their high-finagled finance talk, fountain pens, court jesters, dressed all frilly and powdered up
  • They might refer to you as peasants, and you absolutely cannot look them in the eye
  • Sometimes they even claim prima-nocta on first-year girls
  • They might barge into their old first-year room and claim “Noble Dominion” over your Vladimir
  • They will break all of your windows–and anything you thought was safe, really
  • You will learn what French-cuffs are, and how “the point of a wife is to help you put them on”
  • Friday night your girlfriend will sleep with an alumni (but it’s okay, they had a thing when she was a sophomore and he was senior)
  • On Saturday you try to cry a little about last night in private, a nice alumni sees and lets you dry your eyes with his $90 Brooks Brothers pocket square
  • Now the guy who slept with your girlfriend slaps you with a white glove, and you have to duel him with pistols at the Super Saturday for her honor
  • It turns out 17th Century flintlocks are harder to work than you think.
  • But he brings you a Yuengling while you’re being bandaged up, and then takes you out to Skeeter’s in his leased BMW.
  • You talk about his job and he connects with you on LinkedIn, vaguely mentioning an internship
  • I guess despite the fact that they take to our campus like the Visigoths on Rome, the alumni are fun
Categories
Uncategorized

University culture breeds sexual assault

El McCabe

Writer

It is no secret that the the University’s party culture has its flaws. According to research from Associate Professor of Psychology Bill Flack, 40 percent of females at the University experience sexual assault at some point in their college careers. Think about that for a second. Four out of every 10 girls that live on your hall, walk to class with you, and become your friends have been taken advantage of on this campus. This realization is not only scary, but absolutely unacceptable. Still, when I read this statistic I was not at all surprised. The University’s party culture facilitates these assaults and they occur more frequently than people would think.

A major reason why the University’s party culture facilitates these assaults is because of the power fraternities hold over partygoers. The fraternities have the houses and control the location, the type of alcohol served, the people let into the party, what happens at the party, etc. The girls literally only bring their bodies. This division in responsibilities in the party scene creates a strange atmosphere in which guys choose girls to dance and hook up with, and often control how far they go. Sexual assault commonly occurs in these types of party settings. The drinks are stronger than they seem, and girls often forego their inhibitions as their BAC levels rise. When a girl is “chosen” by a guy who had a sea of other options, the girl gets a self-esteem boost and is more likely to agree to go upstairs with him. These two factors combined put girls in compromising situations and allow the assaulters to convince themselves that the sex is consensual.

I am not saying that every guy who commits sexual assault has set out to take advantage of girls. Many guys on campus who have sexually assaulted girls have been intoxicated themselves or thought that a drunk “yes” was still a “yes.” What many people do not realize is that even if a girl is not passed out on the floor and seems to be functioning normally, her judgment may still be impaired. Under any circumstances involving alcohol, a “yes” is not a green light for sex just because the girl does not stop you.

Another reason why sexual assault remains a major issue on campus is because of the stigma attached to the term. To most, sexual assault is synonymous with rape, another term associated with dark alleys, pedophiles, third-world countries, and evil doers. Many people do not believe that violent acts such as rape and sexual assault could actually occur on this campus. It is necessary to redefine sexual assault in order to rectify this prevalent issue. We need to start accepting that sexual assault is ingrained in the University’s party culture, and we must take the necessary steps to change it.

The change needs to start with the young women on campus. By not buying into the party culture and not drinking the alcohol provided at these events, girls on campus can reclaim their bodies and inhibitions. If girls take a stand against the “norm,” the guys who engage in sexual assault (both unintentionally and intentionally) will have no choice but to rethink their actions and expectations. These are small suggestions, and it will take a large majority of girls on campus to make this change possible. Girls and boys alike need to start questioning their surroundings and start looking out for each other, because only then will this statistic decrease.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: Students need a break from relationship with technology

William Powers came to the University on Oct. 8 as part of the First-Year Common Reading program. His book, “Hamlet’s Blackberry,” discusses the impact of technology in the digital age by observing major technological revolutions through time. He starts with the time of Socrates and brings it to the 21st century.

Nonconformity is an idea Powers carried with him as he wrote his book. In his talk, he said that he didn’t conform his writing to the typical technology article that shows how technology affects us right now. Instead, he wrote about how technology has affected society through time, not just in the present day. This is especially interesting on campus, where most students have grown up with cell phones and an internet connection from a young age. For us, the internet and smart phones have become an everyday part of life, fully integrated into most of our actions. Walking between classes, you can see students glued to their phones as they pass each other without acknowledgement. It’s as if we’ve formed a relationship with technology almost akin to our relationships with the humans around us.

Think about how you wake up in the morning. Without the technology of alarm clocks, when we were younger, most of us were kindly–or harshly, depending upon how deeply you slept– woken by our mothers. Now most of us wake up to phone alarms, and upon waking up, we check our latest emails, social media updates, and other applications on our phones.

With this in mind, it gets easier to see Powers’ point about the need for people to break away from technology. He said that for five years, his family participated in what they called an “Internet Sabbath,” which meant that they would break away from technology for the weekend. They would unplug in every sense of the word, not touching technology until Monday. The University has already begun to adopt its own form of an Internet Sabbath: the Dancing Mind Challenge. The Dancing Mind Challenge gives people the opportunity to break away from technology for the day, taking the time to read a book instead. Perhaps with the addition of more events like this, the University community can find value in time spent away from technology.

Categories
News

Tire incinerator proposal moves forward

Ethan Zubkoff
Assistant News Editor

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved the air quality plan for the construction of a tire incinerator to be located 10 miles from the University campus on Sept. 27.

National Gypsum Company, located in White Deer Township, and En-Tire Logistics LLC, a subsidiary of the Emmanuel Tire Company headquartered in Baltimore, Md., will construct the project. The proposed plant would generate about seven megawatts of electricity.

National Gypsum will consume most of the electricity generated by the incinerator. The balance will go to the Pennsylvania Power & Light grid.

“It should not have any more impact than burning coal or something else–probably less,” Norman Emmanuel, CEO of Emmanuel Tires, said.

Only one other facility like this is operational in the United States today, Associate Professor of English Alf Siewers said.

A group of 160 University faculty members signed a statement, dated Sept. 6, 2013, expressing their opposition to the construction of the tire incinerator. Siewers wrote the statement along with Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Kevin Gilmore and Associate Professor of Geography Duane Griffin.

“Studies have shown that tire-derived fuel (TDF) incinerators release toxic chemicals into the air,” the statement said.

Other faculty members who signed the statement include Dean of the College of Engineering Keith Buffinton, Department Chair of History David Del Testa, Department Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Thomas DiStefano, Department Chair of Political Science Andrea Stevenson Sanjian, Department Chair of English Ghislaine McDayter, Director of the Campus Greening Initiative Dina El-Mogazi, and Department Chair of Mathematics Tom Cassidy.

“These were faculty members supporting the opposition to the tire burner,” Siewers said, and not a position taken by the University.

Several members of the local community have also expressed concerns about the possible environmental impact of the proposed incinerator.

“It is one mile exactly from the entrance of the plant to the entrance of White Deer Elementary,” Pete Mackey, a resident of White Deer Township, said.

Emmanuel said that he sees no risk in the incinerator’s proximity to the elementary school saying he would have “no problem” with an incinerator being built near his children’s school.

“We are not doing something to harm people; money is not worth that,” Emmanuel said.

“They want to burn 100 million pounds of shredded tires per year. They are not burning or storing whole tires. Their plan is to truck in 18 wheelers everyday of shredded tires and burn the shredded tire,” Mackey said.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and American Lung Association of Pennsylvania have already issued letters expressing concern about the now approved air quality proposal.

A petition on Change.org, entitled “National Gypsum: Keep your ETL tire incinerator out of our community,” currently has approximately 350 signatures. There is also a Facebook page called “Stop the Tire Burner.”

Residents of White Deer Township will be able to appeal the DEP decision by Oct. 25, Mackey said.

On Oct. 16, Siewers and Visiting Assistant Professor of History Jennifer Thomson will organize a group of faculty and staff to oppose the tire burner.

“We hope to reach out to the environmental club to see if there is student interest,” Siewers said.

Categories
News

Public Safety Chief speaks to Bucknell Student Government

Ethan Zubkoff
Assistant News Editor

The University’s Chief of Public Safety Stephen Barilar spoke to the Bucknell Student Government (BSG) on Oct. 6 and addressed rumors about the situation in downtown Lewisburg.

Barilar said that although the local Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department (BVRPD) is worried that the decision to cancel House Party Weekend will move student activities downtown and into BVRPD’s jurisdiction, they have not increased their patrols and are actually down an officer.

Though students have claimed it seems that enforcement has increased, like the recent night in which BVRPD officers raided four student-leased houses, Barilar attributed those incidents to “students drawing attention to themselves,” and not a change in policy.

This previous weekend three University students were hospitalized due to high-risk consumption of alcohol, Barilar said.

“This keeps me awake at night,” Barilar said.

After hearing from Barilar, the BSG Congress voted to approve funds for 500 magnets to be given out at the homecoming football game.

Categories
News

Breaking the Bubble

Ethan Zubkoff
Assistant News Editor

International

  • American forces conducted twin raids in Libya and Somalia on Oct. 5. In Libya, Army Delta Force soldiers captured Anas al-Liby, the terrorist suspected of assisting in the bombing of the American embassies in Africa 15 years ago. In Somalia, Navy SEALs failed in capturing their target, Ikrima, a suspected terrorist operator there who is suspected of planning attacks against Kenya. (BBC and Reuters)
  • Clashes escalated between Egypt’s military government and its Islamist opponents. On Oct. 6, Egyptian security forces shot and killed 53 protesters. On Oct. 7, three attacks took place against the government, which included a drive by shooting that killed six, the detonation of a car bomb that killed three police officers, and an RPG attack that damaged a satellite transmitter. (The New York Times)
  • Nobel Prize announcements started this week. The committee announced on Oct. 9 that three scientists based in the United States, Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel, won the prize for chemistry for their work in creating advanced computer models that simply complex chemical interactions and create new drugs. On Oct. 8 the committee announced that François Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of Britain won the prize in physics for the discoveries on how subatomic particles acquire mass. Americans James Rothman and Randy Schekman and Thomas Südhof of Germany won the prize for Physiology or Medicine for their work on traffic-control systems for cells. (CBS News and The Washington Post)
  • The Italian Coast Guard continued to find the bodies of African refugees who sought asylum in Europe. The ship capsized last week off the coast of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, and was carrying 500 people from Eritera. The Coast Guard raised the death toll to 250 with about 155 surviving. (The Telegraph and Bloomberg Business Week)

National

  • Chaos engulfed Washington D.C. on Oct. 3 as a driver, Miriam Carey, tried to drive through a barricade to the White House and then led police on a fatal chase towards Capitol Hill. Carey, who had her one-year-old daughter in the car, was the only fatality; a Secret Service agent and Capitol Hill police officer were both injured. Lawmakers in Congress applauded the police for their actions as the lock-down was lifted. (The Chicago Tribune)
  • A man who set himself on fire on the National Mall passed away last week. Although it did come in the wake of the federal government shutdown, it was not politically motivated. John Constantino, 64, suffered a long battle with mental illnesses. (The Washington Post)
  • President Barack Obama nominated Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve Chairperson when Ben Bernanke’s term is over. Yellen, 67, currently the Federal Reserve’s number two, would be the first women to hold the position. Her nomination is pending Senate approval. (Reuters)

State

  • Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett apologized for equating gay marriage to marriage between a brother and sister on a televised interview on Friday, Oct. 4. “My words were not intended to offend anyone,” Corbett said in a written apology released less than six hours after the interview. “If they did, I apologize.” (The Morning Call)
Categories
Arts & Life

Modern dance company brings passion and talent to performance

Christina Oddo
Managing Editor

Camille A. Brown and Dancers brought modern dance to Tustin Dance Studio in a master class as well as the Weis Center stage for an evening performance on Oct. 5.

“Camille A. Brown & Dancers are incredibly talented,” Aliyah Johnson ’14, who attended the master class, said. “They moved unapologetically and gave me everything I needed. I felt revitalized and I got my confidence back. In class, Camille encouraged us to go all the way. I remember her saying something like ‘I’d rather you be too much than not enough, and I have to pull it out of you.’ So I got comfortable and gave her all of me and a little bit extra! For me, the class and performance was a breath of fresh air.”

The class consisted of technique and performance work that was evident and prominent throughout the evening on the Weis Center stage.

“Brown taught a phenomenal master class to some of our dance students, accompanied by the talented Phil Haynes,” Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Dustyn Martincich said. “The class focused on precise but individualized movement. She emphasized the history of the movement and encouraged dancers to explore their individual style. These values are inherent in her repertory seen on the Weis Center stage.”

The performance featured Brown’s “New Second Line,” highlighting the essence of jazz in New Orleans, as well as two solo works titled “The Real Cool” from “Mr. Tol E. RancE,” and “Evolution of a Secured Feminine.”

“It was fantastic discovering Camille A. Brown and Dancers,” Associate Professor of Dance Kelly Knox said. “The dancers lived fully in their physical power, stretching dynamically to the edges of the movement and exuding the music through their extended limbs.”

The evening also consisted of a duet titled “Been There Done That,” and Brown’s first work for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, “The Groove to Nobody’s Business.”

Camille A. Brown and Dancers focuses on theatricality as well as musicality in performance, and digs deeper into relationships, as well as other themes that span across time and reveal truth.

“With a poignant theatricality, the dances were accessible, resonating with clear motivations and recognizable human relationships,” Knox said. “I also truly appreciated the theatre and movement history that Brown’s dancers embody; it reminds me of the creative approaches my own colleague, Dustyn Martincich pursues in her teaching and research.”

Poetry, along with visual art and music of different genres, helps to create the energy of the performance. The goal of the dancers is to engage them in new ways.

“And the music! I ran out of the theatre and downloaded about 10 Betty Carter songs so I could relive the evening.”

“The whole show featured the work of a talented and passionate artist who really practices what she preaches,” Martincich said.

The Weis Center’s next performance will feature Vieux Farka Touré on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Campus Theatre and will be free and open to the public.

Categories
News

Small Business Development Center hosts business pitch competition

Brianna Marshall and Gigi Flynn
Writers

The University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is hosting the Bucknell Business Pitch Competition for students interested in presenting ideas for new businesses.

“The goal of this event is to inspire student entrepreneurs here in the Bucknell community and give them an opportunity to prepare and practice a business pitch–a critical skill to have when launching a venture,” Steven Stumbris, director of the SBDC, said.

The competition is open to all University students who have an interest in business or entrepreneurship. Entries may be submitted individually or by a group and must include a five-minute presentation that creatively markets the business idea and plan. A private panel will judge the presentations during the preliminary round on Nov. 4.

The pitches will be judged based on multiple criteria, including innovation, comprehensiveness, and professionalism. Additionally, contestants can earn “bonus points” for using social media forums such as the Bucknell SBDC Facebook page and #BizPitch13 on Twitter.

BizPitch is now in its second year. Last year’s competition featured approximately 57 student entrees and $3000 total in prize money.

The SBDC is a federally funded resource on campus that provides free consulting to both students and members of the local community.

“We are a resource to those who want to start a business,” Stumbris said.

The SBDC organizes dinners for students with businessmen and businesswomen to talk about their respective experiences. It is celebrating its 35 year at the University this year.  

University students are encouraged to attend the final event on Nov. 18 in the Terrace Room. Applications for the Bucknell Business Pitch Competition are due by Oct. 18.